Def. Con. One Explained

Def. Con. One
Type:single
Artist:Pop Will Eat Itself
Album:This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This!
B-Side:Inside You (Live)
Released:11 July 1988[1]
Genre:Electronic rock
Label:Chapter 22
Producer:Flood
Prev Title:There Is No Love Between Us Anymore
Prev Year:1988
Next Title:Can U Dig It?
Next Year:1989

"Def. Con. One" is a single by Pop Will Eat Itself released in July 1988 from the album This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This!. The single reached #63 in the UK Singles chart.

The song combines several musical genres and features elements of alternative rock, hip-hop, pop and punk, but was proclaimed by the band to be grebo rock. It is an early example of a song composed by sampling other songs and musical scores, including "I Wanna Be Your Dog" by the Stooges, "Funkytown" by disco band Lipps Inc., the 1973 hit "Crazy Horses" by the Osmonds and The Twilight Zone theme tune. The title comes from the United States' Defense Readiness Condition DEFCON 1, which signifies that "war is imminent."

Several versions of the song are found on the single, although none is the version that would appear on This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This! the following year. The live tracks that appear on the 12" and CD editions were recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden during a tour in March 1988.

A music video was recorded for the song that appears on the 1991 video release Unspoilt by Progress. It features the band performing the song in front of a large image of the This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This! album cover. An effect is used that freezes and blurs the image several times a second. The album version of the song is used in the video.

Track listing

7" version

Side One

  1. "Def.Con.One (7" Version)" 3:44

Side Two

  1. "Inside You (Live in Gothenburg)" 2:33

12" version

Side One

  1. "Def.Con.One (12" Version)" 4:40

Side Two

  1. "Inside You (Live in Gothenburg)" 2:38
  2. "She's Surreal (Live in Gothenburg)" 4:20
  3. "Hit the Hi-Tech Groove (Live in Gothenburg)" 5:01

CD version

  1. "Def.Con.One (7" Version)" 3:44
  2. "Inside You (Live in Gothenburg)" 2:38
  3. "She's Surreal (Live in Gothenburg)" 4:20
  4. "Hit the Hi-Tech Groove (Live in Gothenburg)" 5:01

Remix 12" version

Side One

  1. "Def.Con.One (The Doomsday Powermix)" 5:58

Side Two

  1. "Def.Con.One (7" Version)" 3:44
  2. "Inside You (Live in Gothenburg)" 2:38
  3. "She's Surreal (Live in Gothenburg)" 4:20.

References

  1. Web site: Music Week. 41.

External links